( ^6  7 


LAVRAS  COLLEGE 

IN  BRAZIL 

Our  Missions  in  Brazil 

By  H.  F.  WILLIAMS 

t 

A 

Presbyterian  Committee  of  Publication 

Richmond,  \ irginia  Texarkana,  Ark. -Tex. 


I 

| Inspiring  Missionary  Stories 

By  REV.  H.  F.  WILLIAMS,  D.D. 


I Short  sketches  of  our  work  in  Seven  Mission  Fields.  Original  II- 
| lustrations.  Attractively  Printed.  Moderately  Priced, 
j Postpaid,  Five  Cents  per  Copy. 

j TITLES  AS  BELOW. 

1 Along  the  Grand  Canal — Our  Mid-China  Mission. 

North  of  the  Yangtze — Our  North  Kiangsu  Mission, 
j In  the  Hermit  Land — Our  Korean  Mission. 

! In  the  Mikado’s  Empire — Our  Japan  Mission. 

] In  Mexico  and  Cuba — Our  Near  Home  Missions. 

= In  the  Congo — Our  Mission  in  Africa. 

FOREIGN  MISSION  POST  CARDS. 

Presenting  Views  of  the  Mission  Fields  of  the  Southern 
Presbyterian  Church. 

] Edited  by  REV.  H.  F.  WILLIAMS,  D.D. 

I Beautiful  seven-color  photo-lithographic  cards  made  from  photos 
J taken  in  our  seven  mission  fields  by  Dr.  Williams  and  our  own  mis- 
| sionaries.  A descriptive  leaflet  gives  information  about  each  view 
I in  shape  to  use  in  a lecture  where  cards  are  used  with  a reflectoscope. 

j Price  TEN  CENTS  PER  DOZEN. 

j Cards  put  up  in  following  packages  and  it  is  requested  that  only  j 
i original  packages  be  ordered.  I 

? No.  1 — 12  Views  of  our  Brazil  Field. 

! No.  2 — 12  Views  of  our  Cuba  and  Mexico  Fields.  Six  each. 

No.  3 — 12  Views  of  our  Japan  Field. 

1 No.  4 — 12  Views  of  our  Korea  Field. 

I No.  5 — 12  Views  of  our  China  Field. 

No.  6 — 12  Views  of  our  Congo  Field.  (Africa.) 

I No.  7 — 12  Assorted  Views  of  our  seven  fields  as  follows: 

I 1 Brazil,  1 Cuba,  1 Mexico,  2 Japan,  2 Korea,  2 Congo,  3 China. 


PUBLISHED  AND  FOR  SALE  BY  THE  | 

Presbyterian  Committee  of  Publication 

j RICHMOND,  VIRGINIA  TEXARKANA.  ARK.-TEX.  ? 


IN  BRAZIL 


The  Brazil  Missions  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church 

IN  THE 

United  States. 


BY 

HENRY  F.  WILLIAMS 


Published  by  the 

PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION 

Richmond,  Va.  Texarkana,  Ark. -Tex. 


(2) 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  I. 
Chapter  II. 
Chapter  III. 
Chapter  IV. 
Chapter  V. 
Chapter  VI. 
Chapter  VII. 


PAGE 

South  America 5 

Brazil 8 

People  of  Brazil 12 

Moral,  Religious  and  Educational  Conditions  17 

Early  Missions ...  ...  .20 

Our  Early  Missions ...  .26 

Our  Present  Work  . 32 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Map , 2 

Avenue  of  Palms,  Ytu  . ...  ...  4 

Loading  Hardwood,  Para  ......  6 

Indian  Log  Canoe .......  7 

Governor’s  Palace,  Bello  Horozonte  _ . . 9 

Loading  Coffee 11 

A Pack  Train . . _ . 13 

Plenty  and  Poverty 16 

Candidates  for  the  Ministry,  Lavras.  __  ...  19 

Miracle  Cross _ __  __  22 

Itinerating  in  Brazil 25 

A Country  Church 27 

Pernambuco .29 

View  of  Lavras 31 

Presbyterian  Church,  Pernambuco ______  ...  . 31 

Pernambuco  Girls’  School _ _ _ . . . 34 

Canhotinho ...  . 37 

Faculty  and  Students,  Lavras  College  ...  39 

In  the  Coffee  Orchard,  Lavras  College  41 

Theological  Students,  Garanhuns . . ...  ...  43 

Day  School,  Bom  Successo . ...  ...  .44 

Group  Charlotte  Kemper  School  Girls  45 


(3) 


AVENUE  OF  ROYAL  PALMS- YTU,  BRAZIL. 


(4) 


IN  BRAZIL. 


CHAPTER  I. 

SOUTH  AMERICA. 

Discovery. — On  the  thirtieth  of  May,  1498,  Columbus 
set  sail  on  his  third  voyage  of  discovery.  About  noon  of 
the  last  day  in  July  a sailor,  while  going  to  the  round  top, 
saw  the  peaks  of  three  mountains  to  the  westward.  The 
sailors  gave  thanks  to  God  and  said  prayers  used  by  sea- 
men of  those  days  in  times  of  distress  or  joy.  Columbus 
called  the  discovered  island  “La  Isla  de  Trinidad,”  the 
Island  of  the  Trinity,  for  he  had  thought  of  giving  this 
name  to  the  first  land  found  on  the  voyage,  and  “now,” 
said  the  discoverer,  “God  has  graciously  granted  me  the 
sight  of  these  mountains  near  together.” 

Sailing  westward  from  Trinidad  the  continent  of  South 
America  was  discovered  August  1,  1498.  The  explorer 
gave  to  the  land  the  name  “La  Tierra  de  Gracia,”  Land 
of  Grace.  Columbus,  describing  that  part  of  South  Amer- 
ica which  he  called  Gracia,  now  Venezuela,  and  referring 
to  the  Orinoco  River  pouring  its  flood  of  fresh  water  into 
the  sea,  said:  “I  think  that  if  the  mentioned  river  does 
not  flow  from  paradise  that  it  comes  from  a vast  extent 
of  land  in  the  south,  of  which  nothing  hitherto  has  been 
known.”* 

The  continent  of  South  America  stretches  over  a terri- 
tory 4,600  miles  long,  and  over  3,500  miles  wide.  The 
area  of  South  America,  7,598,000  square  miles,  is  as  large 
as  two  continents  the  size  of  Europe.  The  population, 


*“Discoveries  of  America.” 


(5) 


6 


In  Brazil. 


about  54,750,000,  is  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Indian,  Negro 
and  mixed  blood. 

In  1493  Pope  Alexander  VI  indicated  an  indefinite  di- 
viding line,  giving  the  western  portion  of  South  America 
to  Spain  and  the  eastern  portion  to  Portugal.  This  was 
supplemented  by  treaty  in  1494.  The  Portuguese  ex- 
tended their  sway  from  the  eastern  coast  over  Brazil, 
while  the  Spanish  from  the  west  took  possession  of  nearly 
all  the  rest  of  the  continent.  In  1810  partly  through  the 
example  of  the  United  States,  and  partly  through  the 
establishment  of  the  Napoleonic  Empire  in  Europe,  the 
Spanish  colonies  revolted  and,  after  a long  struggle,  in- 
dependence was  gained  and  the  various  republics  were 
formed.  Brazil  remained  a subject  colony  of  Portugal 
until  1822,  and  continued  under  a monarchy  until  1889. 
The  bloodless  revolution  which  changed  Brazil  from  a 
monarchy  to  a republic  removed  the  last  monarchial  gov- 
ernment from  American  soil,  and  completed  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  great  community  of  American  Republics. 


LOADING  HARDWOOD  AT  PARA. 
Shipment  to  the  United  States. 


In  Brazil. 


7 


Columbus  claimed  the  continent  of  South  America  as  a 
Spanish  possession,  with  the  result  that  it  was  occupied 
by  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  which  became  the  pre- 
vailing and  dominating  religion  of  the  continent.  These 
four  hundred  years  of  Catholicism  are  in  a large  measure 
responsible  for  the  slow  development,  superstition  and 
pagan  ignorance  of  the  vast  majority  of  the  people  inhab- 
iting the  entire  continent.  History  has  demonstrated  the 
failure  and  incapability  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  to 
meet  the  moral,  educational  and  spiritual  needs  of  the 
people  of  South  America. 

The  Congress  on  Christian  Work  in  Latin  Lands,  held 
in  Panama,  February  10-20,  1916,  was  the  event  of  su- 
preme interest  in  the  religious  relation  of  the  two  conti- 
nents. This  conference  did  for  Latin  America  what  the 
Edinborough  Conference  did  for  the  missionary  work  of 
the  world,  exclusive  of  Latin  lands.  “This  Congress  was 
held  under  the  dominant  impression  that  the  present 
world  situation  has  taught  the  world  one  supreme  lesson, 
namely:  that  without  Christ  and  his  gospel,  purely  be- 
lieved, faithfully  obeyed,  no  science  or  culture  or  trade  or 
diplomacy  will  avail  to  meet  human  need.”* 

*“South  American  Neighbors,’’  p.  24. 


INDIAN  LOG  CANOE. 

This  canoe,  in  the  Botanical  Garden,  Para,  is  over  100  feet  long. 


8 


In  Brazil. 


CHAPTER  II. 

BRAZIL. 

Discovery. — Before  Brazil  was  discovered  Spain  and 
Portugal  had  arranged  their  claims  of  conquest  by  a treaty 
which  gave  the  territory  now  including  Brazil  to  the  lat- 
ter. A Spanish  explorer,  Vicente  Yanez  Pinzon,  discov- 
ered the  northeast  coast  of  Brazil  in  February  and  March, 
1500.  He  did  not  take  possession  of  the  country  and 
hence  his  discovery  is  not  of  historical  importance. 

In  March,  1500,  Pedro  Alvarez  Cabral  was  dispatched 
by  Portugal  with  a fleet  of  thirteen  merchantmen  to  carry 
commodities  to  India  “over  the  sea-path  explored  by  her 
daring  navigators.”  Cabral  was  instructed  to  hold  his 
fleet  out  at  sea  from  the  coast  of  Africa  to  avoid  “troub- 
lesome currents  and  delaying  winds.”  When  near  Cape 
Verde  Islands  he  lost  sight  of  one  of  his  ships  and  while 
searching  for  it  lost  his  course.  On  Wednesday  afternoon, 
April  22,  Cabral  descried  the  summit  of  a high  mountain 
on  the  coast  of  Brazil.  After  a few  days’  search  he  found 
a safe  harbor  south  of  the  present  city  of  Bahia.  On  the 
first  of  May,  1500,  a large  wooden  cross  was  erected  to 
which  was  affixed  the  declaration  of  Cabral’s  discovery  of 
the  country  for  the  King  of  Portugal.  Cabral  called  the 
discovered  country  “Terra  de  Vera  Cruz”  (Land  of  the 
Holy  Cross),  which  shortly  afterward  was  changed  to 
Terra  de  Santa  Cruz  (Land  of  the  Holy  Ghost),  and  finally 
the  permanent  name,  Brazil.* 

Extent. — “Physically  Brazil  is  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able countries  in  the  world.  Its  shape  suggests  a huge 
fan.  Its  handle  the  narrow  strip  that  slips  down  between 


♦“Discoveries  of  America.” 


In  Brazil. 


9 


the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  Argentine.  The  body  of  the  fan 
spreads  out  northwestward  toward  the  Andes  and  north- 
eastward along  the  Atlantic  shore.  These  diverging 
boundaries  meet  along  irregular  lines  in  the  north.  This 
enormous  fan,  Brazil,  comprehends  the  heart  of  South 
America.”* 

The  geographical  extent  of  Brazil  is  appreciated  by  very 
few  people.  With  an  area  of  3,218,130  square  miles,  Brazil 
is  the  largest  of  the  South  American  republics.  Its  area 


. - w 


GOVERNOR'S  PALACE,  BELLO  HOROZONTE,  MINAS. 


includes  nearly  one-half  of  South  America.  Brazil  is 
larger  than  the  United  States,  not  including  Alaska,  and 
is  larger  than  the  whole  of  Europe.  Lying  between  four 
degrees  north  and  thirty-three  south  latitude,  nearly  the 
whole  territory  is  within  the  Torrid  Zone.  It  is  over 
2,600  miles  long  and  2,500  miles  broad,  and  has  a coast 
line  of  4,000  miles. 

“The  country  has  forty-two  seaports,  the  greatest  river 
system  in  the  world  and  almost  every  variety  of  natural 
product  except  some  of  the  temperate  fruits  and  grains. 


*“In  Four  Continents.” 


10 


In  Brazil. 


Brazil  represents  not  only  half  the  area  but  also  between 
one-half  and  one-third  of  the  present  population  of  South 
America.” 

Divisions  and  Climate.  — On  the  divisions  and 
climate  of  Brazil  we  quote  the  following:  “Brazil  is 
naturally  divided  into  three  distinct  regions:  the  lowlands 
along  the  coast,  where  are  grand  harbors  and  large  cities; 
the  middle  section,  which  has  magnificent  and  fertile 
plateaus  formed  by  abrupt  mountain  ranges  on  the  eastern 
side,  watered  by  the  tributaries  of  the  Amazon  and 
those  of  the  river  La  Plata;  and  the  vast  and  unexplored 
regions  of  the  west.  The  climate  is  varied.  Within  the 
tropics  the  tendency  is  to  extreme  heat,  accompanied  in 
some  parts  by  great  humidity,  but  on  the  table-land  the 
heat  is  modified  by  pure  and  refreshing  breezes,  and  back 
on  the  mountain  slopes  one  may  dwell  in  perpetual  spring. 
The  table-lands  and  hillsides,  with  unrivalled  navigable 
streams  for  internal  communication  and  commerce,  nat- 
urally fit  it  for  agricultural  purposes.  There  are  no  active 
volcanoes,  and  earthquakes  are  very  rare.” 

Products. — “Brazil  is  probably  not  surpassed  in  fer- 
tility, in  climate  and  in  variety  of  useful  natural  products — 
coffee,  sugar1,  cotton,  India  rubber,  cocoa,  rice,  maize, 
manioc,  bananas,  beans,  yams,  ginger,  lemons,  oranges, 
figs,  cocoanuts,  etc.  There  are  herds  of  wild  cattle  on 
the  plains,  game  in  the  woods,  and  fish  in  the  waters,  vast 
forests  of  rare  growth  and  variety,  wood  of  great  excel- 
lence and  beauty  for  all  kinds  of  cabinet  work,  timber  and 
lumber  for  all  building  purposes.  Gold,  silver,  iron,  lead 
and  precious  stones  are  abundant;  indeed,  the  field  for 
diamonds  is  one  of  the  richest  in  the  world.  But  the  vast 
wealth  of  the  States  is  found  not  in  her  rich  stores  of 
precious  minerals  and  metals,  but  in  her  fruitful  soil  and 
exports  of  tropical  productions.  Her  traffic  in  sugar  and 


In  Brazil. 


11 


coffee,  under  almost  ruinous  export  duties,  amounts  to 
more  in  a single  year  than  all  the  diamonds  gathered  within 
this  century.” 

Political  History. — Compared  with  other  republics 
of  South  America  Brazil  did  not  become  a republic  until 
a comparatively  recent  date.  Brazil  during  its  early  his- 
tory suffered  at  different  times  attacks  of  the  Spanish, 
English,  French  and  Dutch,  and  was  neglected  by  Portugal. 
When  Napoleon,  in  1808,  forced  John  VI  to  take  refuge 
in  Brazil,  it  resulted  in  a more  liberal  commercial  policy. 
About  this  time  the  first  printing  press  was  brought  to 
Brazil.  The  colony  was  raised  to  a co-ordinate  rank  with 
the  mother  country.  There  were  several  revolutions,  but 
independence  from  Portugal  was  not  gained  until  1822, 
when  Dom  Pedro  I,  the  son  of  John  VI,  was  proclaimed 
the  Emperor  of  independent  Brazil.  His  opposition  to 
representative  government  and  other  causes  made  him  so 
unpopular  that  he  was  compelled  to  abdicate  in  favor  of 
his  son,  Dom  Pedro  II.  Under  this  monarch  the  country 
steadily  grew  in  wealth  and  population.  The  crowning 
achievement  of  his  long  reign  was  the  emancipation  of 
1,500,000  slaves  in  1872. 


LOADING  COFFEE. 
Shipment  to  the  United  States. 


12 


In  Brazil. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PEOPLE  OF  BRAZIL. 

The  Population. — The  population  of  Brazil,  largely 
an  estimate,  is  about  23,000,000,  a fraction  over  seven  to 
the  square  mile.  If  Brazil  were  as  thickly  settled  as  Mas- 
sachusetts it  would  have  a population  of  1,345,500,000,  or, 
leaving  out  China,  a population  almost  equal  to  the  rest  of 
the  world.  It  is  estimated  that  about  one-third  of  the 
population  is  pure  Portugese.  As  the  early  settlers  inter- 
married with  the  Indians,  the  prevailing  mixture  has  for 
its  basis  Indian  blood.  There  are  nearly  3,000,000  of 
more  or  less  pure  Portugese  blood,  and  about  as  many 
white  immigrants,  mostly  from  Southern  Europe,  who 
have  settled  in  the  southern  extra-tropical  states.  The 
negroes  are  found  in  largest  numbers  in  the  northeast 
Atlantic  States,  the  Indians  in  the  unsettled  interior, 
while  the  mass  of  the  population  everywhere  consists  of 
a mixture  of  these  three  elements  in  every  imaginable  pro- 
portion. 

An  item  of  importance  in  Brazil  is  the  extraordinary 
immigration  from  European  and  other  countries.  Ger- 
mans, Italians,  Portugese,  Syrians,  Spaniards  from  Spain 
and  the  Philippines  are  pouring  in  so  that  the  population 
is  becoming  almost  as  heterogeneous  as  that  of  the  United 
States.  New  activity  is  manifest  on  the  part  of  the  Roman 
priesthood,  reinforced  by  many  of  the  religious  orders 
driven  from  France  and  the  Philippines.  “Nevertheless, 
the  opening  of  the  doors  is  wider  than  ever  before,  and  the 
pure  gospel  may  be  preached  and  taught  with  absolute 
freedom.” 

In  the  political  history  of  Brazil  the  notable  reforms 
forced  upon  the  government  were  in  summary  as  follows: 


In  Brazil. 


13 


“Equality  with  Portugal,  independence  of  the  mother 
country,  a constitutional  monarchy,  and  finally,  Novem- 
ber 15,  1889,  a bloodless  transition  from  an  empire  to  a 
republic.  The  aged  emperor,  held  in  universal  esteem, 
was  exiled,  together  with  his  family,  and  the  republic 
began  under  a provisional  ruler.  The  following  year  a 
constitution  similar  to  that  of  the  United  States  was 
adopted  and  a president  was  elected.”* 

While  Brazil  has  been  frequently  disturbed  by  changing 
political  conditions,  revolutions,  insurrections  and  cor- 
ruption of  officials,  she  has  made  great  progress.  Bishop 
Stuntz  says:  “If  we  are  inclined  to  emphasize  Brazil’s 
lack  of  public  order,  to  criticize  her  currency,  or  to  point 
to  the  high  percentage  of  illiteracy  among  her  people,  we 
do  well  to  remember  that  she  assumed  her  status  as  a 
republic  less  than  thirty  years  ago;  that  her  economic 
stability  had  been  shaken  to  its  foundation  by  the  sudden 

•Brown  in  “Latin  America.” 


A PACK  TRAIN. 

Pack  trains  and  ox  carts  are  largely  used  in  transporting  goods 
and  products  to  and  from  the  interior. 


14 


In  Brazil. 


emancipation  of  slaves  in  the  preceding  year;  and  we  must 
give  just  praise  to  the  Brazilian  leaders  who  have  achieved 
so  much  of  public  order,  economic  development,  and  edu- 
cational progress  in  less  than  three  decades  and  in  the  face 
of  difficulties  almost  insurmountable.”* 

The  Moral  Need. — Dr.  Robt.  E.  Speer,  after  a thor- 
ough visit  in  nearly  all  the  South  American  Republics, 
says:  “The  people  have  their  noble  qualities  as  truly  and 
as  conspicuously  as  any  other  people,  and  there  are  among 
them,  as  among  all  peoples,  all  types  of  character.  Speak- 
ing generally,  they  are  warm  hearted,  courteous,  friendly, 
kindly  to  children,  respectful  to  religious  things,  patriotic 
to  the  very  soul;  but  the  tone,  the  vigor,  the  moral  bot- 
tom, the  hard  veracity,  the  indomitable  purpose,  the  ener- 
gy, the  directness,  the  integrity  are  lacking  in  them.  The 
deepest  need  is  the  moral  need.  The  continent  wants 
character.  And  character  has  two  great  springs,  educa- 
tion and  religion.  Are  these  springs  clean  and  abounding 
in  South  America?” 

Indians. — The  Indian  population  in  the  interior  of 
Brazil  is  one  of  the  darkest  spots  of  heathenism  in  the 
world.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are  8,000,000  Indians 
in  South  America  for  whose  spiritual  life  practically  noth- 
ing is  being  done.  Nobody  knows  how  many  of  these 
Indians  are  in  Brazil.  It  has  been  stated  that  there  are 
as  many  as  250  tribes,  in  which  there  are  anywhere  from 
1,000,000  to  3,000,000  Indians,  according  to  varying  esti- 
mates. “The  same  spirit  which  sends  missionaries  to 
barbarians,  pagans,  and  heathen  tribes  in  Africa  should 
impel  our  steps  to  the  helpless  and  homeless  savages  of 
South  America.” 

Poverty  and  Ignorance. — There  are  many  culti- 
vated and  distinguished  people  in  Brazil.  There  are  edu- 


*“South  American  Neighbors.” 


In  Brazil. 


15 


cators  of  marked  ability  and  business  men  of  large  capaci- 
ty, but  the  mass  of  the  people,  especially  in  the  rural  sec- 
tions, are  poor  and  ignorant.  Brazilian  statisticians  esti- 
mate 80  per  cent  of  the  population  illiterate.  The  people 
are  contrasts  of  wealth  and  poverty.  Lands  are  not  taxed 
except  when  transfers  of  property  are  made.  This  en- 
courages the  holding  of  large  tracts  of  land  by  a few  of  the 
wealthy  class.  While  there  are  some  tendencies  toward 
breaking  up  these  large  accumulations  of  land  into  small 
tracts,  large  land  ownership  is  still  a great  hindrance  to 
the  development  of  the  country  and  the  uplifting  of  the 
common  people  of  Brazil. 

It  is  estimated  that  from  five  to  eight  per  cent  consti- 
tute the  wealthy  and  ruling  class,  so  from  ninety-two  to 
ninety-five  per  cent  may  be  classed  as  poor.  Not  all  of 
the  poorer  classes  are  in  actual  want,  or  suffer  for  the 
necessities  of  life.  The  rule  in  the  Brazilian  home  is  to 
have  large  families.  The  industrious  man  who  supports 
his  family  with  his  daily  wage  has  little  or  nothing  left. 
A careful  student  of  the  economic  conditions  of  the  labor- 
ing classes  in  Brazil  remarks,  “What  scant  margin  remains 
for-  emergency?  The  poor  cannot  call  the  doctor  or  visit 
the  dentist,  for  the  simple  reason  that  there  are  no  funds 
available.” 

The  writer,  while  traveling  through  sections  of  North- 
ern Brazil,  where  there  was  distressing  opportunity  for 
observation  of  the  rural  population,  and,  to  a limited  ex- 
tent, living  among  the  poor,  frequently  recalled  the  excla- 
mation of  distress  made  by  Rev.  J.  H.  McLean  who,  in 
his  missionary  experience,  saw  the  desperate  condition  of 
the  poor:  “Poverty,  poverty  everywhere  and  often  in  the 
midst  of  plenty!  Poverty  and  wretchedness  as  the  recom- 
pense of  honest  industry!  The  common  causes  of  indi- 
gence operate  in  Latin  America  as  elsewhere — laziness, 


(16) 


PLENTY  AND  POVERTY. 

(1)  A fazenda  home.  (2)  Company  of  poor  farmers. 
(3)  A common  home  of  the  poor. 


In  Brazil. 


17 


improvidence,  drunkenness  and  lack  of  education.  But 
there  is  too  much,  far  too  much,  unmerited  pauperism. 
It  carries  no  inherent  blessing  but  fosters  ignorance,  crime, 
misery  and  despair.”*  The  itinerating  missionary  in 
Brazil  can  truly  say,  “The  poor  have  the  Gospel  preached 
to  them.”  (Matt.  11:  5.) 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MORAL,  RELIGIOUS  AND  EDUCATIONAL  CONDITIONS. 

Immorality. — While  Brazil  is  not  lower  in  the  moral 
scale  than  many  other  nations,  there  is  an  appalling  amount 
of  immorality,  especially  among  men.  This  condition  is 
a confirmation  of  the  proverb,  “Like  priest  like  people.” 
The  whole  history  of  the  dominating  church  of  Brazil  has 
been  that  of  a domineering  and  corrupt  priesthood.  While 
in  the  early  days  the  Jesuits  did  much  for  the  native  pop- 
ulation, the  immorality  of  the  priests  is  traditional  and 
continues  to  the  present  time.  One  of  the  causes  of  im- 
morality among  the  common  people  is  the  excessive 
charges  made  by  the  priests  for  the  performance  of  mar- 
riage ceremonies  which  has  prevailed  all  through  the  re- 
ligious history  of  Brazil.  Some  years  ago  the  Brazilian 
Government  recognized  this  evil  and  passed  a law  which 
required  civil  marriage.  In  their  worship  the  unintelli- 
gent masses  are  pagans.  In  Oriental  countries  the  people 
worship  images.  In  Brazil  the  images  or  pictures  of  saints 
are  objects  of  devout  worship.  Idolatry  is  found  in  the 
worship  of  an  image;  in  the  many  images  that  are  objects 
of  worship  there  is  polytheism. 


*“The  Living-  Christ  in  Latin  America.” 


18 


In  Brazil. 


Skepticism. — Many  of  the  educated  men  of  Brazil 
openly  express  their  disgust  with  the  immorality  of  the 
priests  and  the  superstitions  connected  with  the  worship 
of  saints.  It  is  considered  a conservative  estimate  that 
ninety  per  cent  of  the  educated  men  of  Brazil  are  skeptics. 
A careful  student  of  the  religious  conditions  in  Brazil  says, 
'‘Brazil  lies  a helpless  prisoner  of  Romanism,  one  hand 
mangled  by  superstition,  the  other  by  infidelism,  while 
her  feet  are  fast  bound  with  stocks  of  ignorance  and  im- 
morality.” The  Gospel  is  the  only  hope  of  Brazil  as  it  is 
the  only  hope  of  the  whole  world. 

Education. — A writer  in  the  Missionary  Review  sum- 
marizes the  educational  condition  and  system  as  follows: 
“The  future  of  these  republics  is  hampered,  if  not  imperiled, 
by  the  low  average  of  intelligence.  Illiteracy  ranges  from 
forty  to  eighty  per  cent.  Of  course  there  are  many  edu- 
cated and  cultured  people,  but  the  safety  of  a republic 
depends  on  the  diffusion  of  intelligence.  They  who  would 
best  help  Latin  America  to  a surer  progressive  civic  life 
must  inspire  a deeper  desire  for  general  education  and 
must  lead  the  way  in  securing  it.  There  are  probably 
forty  thousand  students  in  the  various  universities,  most 
of  whom  it  may  truly  be  said  that  the  doctrines  and  cere- 
monies of  religion  to  which  they  have  been  accustomed  no 
longer  make  any  strong  appeal  to  them.  But  they  are  to 
be  the  leaders  of  thought  and  action  for  all  those  republics 
whose  future  will  be  largely  determined  by  them.  If  they 
become  skeptics  or  totally  indifferent  to  all  religious  ques- 
tions, it  will  bode  no  good  for  the  future  of  those  lands. 
If  we  have  a message  for  inquiring  minds  and  if  we  can 
open  up  to  them  possibilities  of  a higher  life  than  any  that 
now  seems  open  we  will  be  doing  much  for  the  stability 
and  permanence  of  Latin  American  institutions.” 


In  Brazil. 


19 


Religious  Liberty.— In  the  matter  of  religious  lib- 
erty the  fifth  article  of  the  Constitution  of  the  Brazilian 
empire  declared  that  “the  Roman  Catholic  shall  continue 
as  the  established  religion  of  the  State;  all  other  religions 
shall,  however,  be  tolerated  with  their  special  worship  in 
private  houses,  and  in  houses  designated  for  the  purpose, 
without  the  exterior  form  of  a temple,”  meaning  a build- 
ing without  steeple  or  church  bell.  The  constitution  of 
the  Republic  declares  the  separation  of  Church  and  State, 
religious  liberty  and  equal  rights  and  privileges  of  all  re- 
ligious denominations.  Legally  the  door  is  wide  open  for 
the  Protestant  propaganda,  but  public  opinion  makes 
persecution  possible,  and  it  is  practiced  in  many  instances. 
However,  it  is  now  a far  brighter  day  than  in  the  times  of 
intolerance  of  Roman  Catholicism  when  Brazil  was  a 
colony  of  Portugal,  or  even  in  the  early  days  of  mission- 
aries still  living. 


CANDIDATES  FOR  THE  MINISTRY,  LAVRAS  COLLEGE. 


20 


In  Brazil. 


CHAPTER  V. 

EARLY  MISSIONS. 

Catholic. — When  Brazil  was  discovered  it  was  claimed 
for  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  as  the  country  was 
conquered  and  colonized  the  priests  were  sent  as  missiona- 
ries to  the  New  World.  When  the  King  of  Portugal  sent 
the  first  Governor  to  the  city  of  Bahia  in  1549  six  Jesuit 
priests  accompanied  him,  the  first  that  came  to  any  coun- 
try of  the  Western  Hemisphere.  The  Jesuits  energetically 
pushed  their  way  to  the  interior,  and  to  this  activity  can 
be  traced  influences  and  results  affecting  the  welfare  of 
all  Latin  America  from  these  earlier  days  through  the 
centuries  to  present  times. 

Protestant. — The  first  Protestant  to  land  in  Brazil, 
or  on  any  Latin  American  soil  was  a Huguenot  named 
Nicolas  Durand  de  Villegagnon.  Through  the  influence 
of  Admiral  Coligny  Henry  II  of  France  provided  Ville- 
gagnon with  vessels  to  take  a company  of  Huguenot  col- 
onists to  Brazil,  where  it  was  hoped  they  would  escape 
persecution.  The  colony  sailed  from  Havre  in  July,  1555. 
On  November  10th  the  two  ships  arrived  in  the  Bay  of 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  bays  in  the 
world.  This  was  seventy  years  before  the  Puritans  landed 
in  New  England.  On  an  island  in  the  harbor,  1,800  feet 
long  and  300  feet  wide,  Villegagnon  built  a fort.  On  a 
rock  in  the  center  of  the  island  a hut  was  built,  one  side 
of  which  was  a chapel,  the  first  Protestant  house  of  wor- 
ship in  America.  Learning  by  experience  the  need  of 
increased  religious  influence  in  the  colony,  Villegagnon 
sent  a messenger  to  Fiance  with  a message  to  Coligny, 
asking  for  additional  colonists  including  a number  of  arti- 


In  Brazil. 


21 


sans.  The  messenger  sent  by  Villegagnon  was  also  in- 
structed to  make  an  earnest  appeal  to  Calvin  and  his 
friends  at  Geneva  for  ministers  to  help  plant  the  gospel 
in  America.  This  appeal  was  received  with  joy.  Las- 
carbot,  who  wrote  in  1609,  says:  “The  Gevenes,  naturally 
desirous  to  spread  their  own  religion,  gave  thanks  to  God 
as  they  saw  their  way  open  to  establish  their  doctrine 
yonder,  and  to  cause  the  light  of  the  Gospel  to  shine  forth 
among  those  barbarous  people,  godless,  lawless  and  without 
religion.”  Two  ministers,  Peter  Richer  and  William 
Chartier,  were  appointed  by  the  Geneva  Church  to  go  to 
America.  Ten  artisans  joined  the  expedition.  Three  of 
this  company  became  the  first  martyrs  of  the  New  World. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  290  colonists  in  March,  1557,  they 
were  conducted  to  the  island  of  Coligny  (now  called  Vil- 
legagnon) where  they  held  the  first  Protestant  service  in 
America.  The  first  Protestant  hymn  sung  in  America 
was  the  fifth  Psalm.  Peter  Richer  preached  the  first 
Protestant  sermon  in  America,  using  as  the  text  Psalm 
27:  4:  “One  thing  have  I desired  of  the  Lord.” 

In  after  years  Villegagnon  apostasized  to  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  betrayed  the  colony,  denounced  Prot- 
estants as  heretics  and  returned  to  France  with  the  igno- 
minious and  deserved  title  “the  Cain  of  America.”  The 
Portugese  captured  the  French  island  in  1567  and  dis- 
persed the  colonists.  The  Jesuits  completed  their  work 
of  destruction  by  their  relentless  and  cruel  persecutions, 
under  which  some  of  the  Huguenots  gave  up  their  lives, 
some  fled  to  the  Indians  and  preached  the  Gospel,  and 
others  returned  to  their  homes.  “In  those  days  Portugal 
was  wont  to  make  thorough  their  work  with  heresy  and 
heretics,  and  no  vestige  of  these  thirty  years  of  missionary 
work  remains.” 


MIRACLE  CROSS— LAVRAS. 

For  description,  see  foot-note  on  opposite  page. 


(22) 


In  Brazil. 


23 


The  earlier  mission  work  in  Brazil  includes  that  of  the 
Dutch  among  the  Indians  from  1854  to  1864,  and  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  the  United  States  in  1836; 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  1860;  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  U.  S.  (South)  in  1869,  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  1876.  Other  missionary  efforts 
were  made  by  several  individuals.  The  representatives 
of  the  American  and  British  Bible  Societies  have  been 
among  the  most  efficient  forces  in  the  missionary  work  in 
Brazil.  They  have  suffered  persecution,  imprisonment, 
and  even  death  in  circulating  the  Word  of  God. 

The  first  mission  in  South  America  that  has  been  con- 
tinued from  its  beginning  was  established  by  Dr.  Robert 
Reid  Kalley,  a Scotch  physician.  Expelled  from  Madeira 
Island,  where  he  labored  with  marked  success,  Dr.  Kalley 
took  refuge  in  Brazil,  where  he  again  began  mission  work 
in  Rio  Janeiro  in  1855.  He  was  a remarkable  man,  “a 
skilled  physician,  an  accomplished  linguist,  a talented 
poet  and  musician,  and  a Christian  of  commanding  char- 
acter.” The  Brazilians  quickly  responded  to  the  preach- 


“MIRACLE  CROSS,”  LAVRAS,  BRAZIL. 

On  the  outskirts  of  the  city  of  Lavras  there  is  a large  cross  erected 
which  is  claimed  to  have  miraculous  powers.  It  is  said  that  it  took 
twenty  oxen  to  draw  the  principal  beam.  The  cross  is  about  fifty  feet 
high.  Attached  to  the  cross  piece  there  is  a spear,  representing  the 
spear  used  when  our  Lord  was  pierced,  a rod  like  the  one  on  which  the 
vinegar  and  gall  were  given  to  him,  and  a ladder  such  as  is  supposed 
to  have  been  used  when  the  Lord  was  taken  down  from  the  cross.  On 
the  upmost  part  of  the  beam  is  a metal  crown  of  thorns.  On  one  side 
of  the  cross  beam  there  are  nails;  on  the  other  a hammer.  One  of  the 
miraculous  cures  claimed  to  have  been  effected  at  this  cross  is  that 
the  lives  of  a mother  and  child  were  saved  at  the  birth  of  the  child  by 
the  father  resorting  to  the  cross  and  asking  Mary  tc  deliver  the  mother 
and  child  from  death.  On  the  iron  fence  surrounding  the  cross  there 
are  a number  of  tablets  supposed  to  commemorate  the  miraculous 
cutes  that  have  been  wrought.  (See  inset.)  Among  them  is  one  placed 
there  by  this  father.  It  is  a crude  painting  on  battered  tin  fourteen 
inches  square.  On  this  is  pictured  the  cross,  the  Virgin,  the  mother  and 
child  and  the  bed.  The  inscription  gives  the  statement  of  the  above 
and  closes  with  “as  my  petitions  were  heard  I have  painted  this 
miracle.”  The  date  upon  the  tablet  is  January  23,  1916.  Mention  is 
made  of  this  particular  case  of  Mariolatry  to  show  that  this  form  of 
idolatry  or  Mary-worship  is  commonly  practiced.  There  are  many 
hundreds  of  miracle  crosses,  churches  and  shrines  in  Brazil. 


24 


In  Brazil. 


ing  of  this  gifted  and  godly  man  and  he  served  the  con- 
gregation for  twenty-one  years.  An  interdenominational 
missionary  society  known  as  “Help  for  Brazil”  was  formed 
in  Scotland,  which  continues  the  work  begun  by  Dr. 
Kalley  in  Rio  Janeiro,  Pernambuco  and  other  fields. 

The  history  of  Presbyterian  missions  in  Brazil  divides 
itself  into  two  parts,  before  and  after  the  Civil  War. 

Before  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  in  the  United 
States  Presbyterian  missionary  work  in  Brazil  was  carried 
on  with  an  insufficient  force,  and  without  adequate  means 
for  its  support.  Notwithstanding  the  difficulties  under 
which  the  Presbyterian  missions  and  missions  of  other 
denominations  have  been  prosecuted,  there  has  been  a 
steady,  though  sometimes  slow  growth,  until  at  the  pres- 
ent time  the  Presbyterian  Churches  of  Brazil  occupy  a 
prominent  place  in  the  religious  life  of  the  country. 

The  first  Presbyterian  missionary  in  Brazil  was  Rev. 
Ashbel  Green  Simonton,  who,  in  1859,  began  work  in  Rio 
de  Janeiro,  the  then  metropolis  in  the  country,  with  a pop- 
ulation of  nearly  500,000  people.  Rio  is  now  the  capital 
of  Brazil,  with  a population  of  1,000,000.  Of  Mr.  Simon- 
ton it  is  said:  “He  was  a man  peculiarly  qualified  for  the 
pioneer  missionary  work  from  his  scholarly  attainments, 
gentle  manners,  sturdy  and  sterling  Christian  character. 
He  was  always  deservedly  popular  with  Brazilians,  and 
to  his  wisdom  and  faithful  foundation  work  the  success 
of  the  Brazil  mission  is  largely  due.”  In  connection  with 
the  mention  of  Mr.  Simonton  and  his  work  in  Brazil,  it 
is  important  to  note  that  in  the  beginning  there  were  two 
great  lines  of  missionary  activity,  the  pulpit  and  the  press. 
During  all  the  years  since,  in  all  the  missions  of  the  various 
denominations  in  Brazil,  these  two  lines  of  activity  have 
been  made  prominent,  with  the  addition  of  Christian  edu- 
cation. 


In  Brazil. 


25 


In  1888,  after  twenty-eight  years  of  foundation  work, 
the  missions  of  the  Northern  and  Southern  Presbyterian 
Churches  of  the  United  States  were  united  to  form  the 
Synod  of  Brazil.  The  Church  in  Brazil  regards  the  evan- 
gelization of  the  more  distant  regions,  where  there  has  been 
little  or  no  Protestant  preaching,  as  the  most  important 
work  of  the  missionaries.  Missionaries  in  Brazil  define 
the  general  policy  of  their  relation  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Brazil  as  follows:  “We  act  simply  as  pioneers. 
As  soon  as  a Church  can  be  placed  on  a self-supporting 
basis  we  turn  it  over,  if  possible,  to  the  care  of  a native 
pastor,  responsible  to  the  Presbytery.  Our  relations  with 
our  presbyteries  are  most  harmonious,  and,  we  trust,  by 
the  grace  of  God,  to  continue  to  work  shoulder  to  shoulder 
with  our  Brazilian  brethren  in  the  evangelization  of  the 
land.” 


ITINERATING  IN  BRAZIL,. 


26 


In  Brazil. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

OUR  EARLY  MISSIONS. 

Beginnings. — In  his  Memoir  of  John  Leighton  Wilson 
Dr.  DuBose  claims  that  Drs.  Wilson  and  Dabney  were  the 
first  advocates  for  a mission  to  Brazil.  In  1854  the  Pres- 
byterian Board  had,  in  the  first  year  of  Dr.  Wilson's  ad- 
ministration as  Secretary,  opened  its  first  mission  to  Papal 
South  America  in  1858.  Dr.  Wilson  directed  the  atten- 
tion of  young  Ashbel  Green  Simonton  to  that  “Neglected 
Continent,”  and  in  the  summer  of  1859  Simonton  sailed 
for  Rio  de  Janeiro  to  lay  the  foundation  of  what  has  grown 
into  the  large  and  aggressive  Synod  of  Brazil.  With  this 
great  field  of  Papal  America  still  on  their  hearts  and  fresh 
from  pleading  its  claims  before  the  old  Board,  it  is  not 
strange  that  as  soon  as  the  smoke  of  war  had  cleared  away 
we  find  these  two  great  leaders  of  our  Southern  Presby- 
terian Church,  Drs.  Wilson  and  Dabney,  pressing  on  our 
own  church  the  needs  of  Brazil.  It  may  have  been,  too, 
that  Simonton's  two  years  of  teaching  in  Mississippi  and 
his  acquaintance  in  Virginia  and  Baltimore  had  served 
to  interest  many  amongst  us  in  his  field.  No  doubt,  also, 
this  interest  was  fostered  by  the  removal  after  the  war  of 
many  Southern  families  to  the  land  of  the  Southern  Cross. 
A number  of  these  families  were  from  South  Carolina,  and 
this  fact  may  have  led  to  the  overture  from  the  Synod  of 
that  State  to  the  Assembly  of  1866  to  open  a mission  in 
Brazil.  It  was  not,  however,  till  the  summer  of  1868  that 
the  committee  saw  the  way  clear  to  send  out  the  Rev.  G. 
Nash  Morton  on  a tour  of  inspection.  In  the  following 
summer  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morton  and  Rev.  Edward  Lane 
sailed  from  Baltimore  and  in  August,  1869,  settled  at 


In  Brazil. 


27 


Campinas,  as  their  first  station.  For  many  years  “Cam- 
pinas” was  a household  word  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church.  It  was  the  center  of  our  second  largest  foreign 
mission  and  gathered  about  it  an  interest  deep  and  lasting. 
Here  was  built  up  the  Campinas  Institute,  one  of  the  most 
ambitious  and  influential  educational  institutions  our 
Church  has  ever  had  in  all  her  mission  work.  From  this 
center  also  evangelistic  influences  and  energies  radiated 
far  and  wide  among  the  coffee  fazendas  of  the  prosperous 
State  of  Sao  Paulo.  At  a later  period  heavy  clouds  of 
misfortune  and  financial  troubles  settled  over  Campinas. 
When  at  length  these  passed  away  and  a brighter  day 
seemed  to  be  dawning  a succession  of  epidemics  of  yellow 
fever  decimated  the  ranks  of  the  mission,  removing  sev- 
eral noble  leaders  and  rendering  it  needful  to  abandon 
Campinas  in  large  measure.  In  1892  the  seat  of  the  mis- 
sion was  transferred  to  Lavras,  among  the  mountains  in 
the  State  of  Minas.* 

*Rev.  D.  C.  Rankin  in  “After  Forty  Years.” 


A COUNTRY  CHURCH,  WEST  BRAZIL  MISSION. 


28 


In  Brazil. 


South  Brazil  Mission.— Miss  Charlotte  Kemper  was 
appointed  to  the  South  Brazil  Mission  in  1882.  Her  long 
experience  in  the  field,  together  with  her  skill  in  transla- 
tion and  ability  as  a writer,  peculiarly  qualified  her  to 
prepare  an  historical  sketch  of  our  work  in  South  Brazil. 
We  quote  from  this  sketch: 

“In  1871  Mr.  Lane  made  a flying  visit  to  the  homeland 
and,  returning  to  Brazil,  took  with  him  a valuable  rein- 
forcement in  the  person  of  Mrs.  Lane.  In  1872  Miss 
Henderson  was  sent  out,  and  a little  later  Miss  M.  Videau 
Kirk,  of  South  Carolina,  joined  the  Mission.  These  were 
the  pioneers,  the  advance  guard,  of  the  army  that  had  for 
its  motto,  ‘Brazil  for  Christ.’  And  very  important  was 
the  service  they  rendered  in  breaking  down  the  barriers 
of  prejudice,  removing  obstacles  and  clearing  the  way  for 
those  who  should  follow.  If  the  record  of  Mr.  Lane’s 
evangelistic  journeys  in  those  early  days  had  been  pre- 
served, it  would  form  an  interesting  chapter  in  the  history 
of  our  Mission  in  Southern  Brazil.  After  a term  of  twenty- 
three  years,  with  only  one  interval  of  rest,  he  died  of  yel- 
low fever  in  Campinas,  on  the  26th  day  of  March,  1892, 
the  very  day  on  which  the  younger  soldier,  Lapsley,  in 
‘Darkest  Africa,’  laid  aside  his  armor.” 

In  1875  Rev.  John  Boyle,  who  had  been  associated  with 
the  work  of  our  Church  in  North  Brazil,  was  transferred 
to  the  Campinas  Mission.  Later  he  removed  to  Bagagem, 
in  the  State  of  Minas,  where,  for  five  years,  he  labored 
faithfully  and  successfully,  making  frequent  journeys  into 
the  adjoining  states,  sowing  the  precious  seed  that  is  now 
yielding  an  abundant  harvest.  In  October,  1892,  this 
faithful  servant  of  Christ  entered  into  his  rest,  cut  off,  as 
it  seemed  to  all,  in  the  very  prime  of  his  usefulness.  Rev. 
G.  W.  Thompson  was  associated  with  Mr.  Boyle  in  Baga- 
gem, but  scarcely  had  this  young  and  valiant  soldier  of 


In  Brazil. 


29 


the  cross  buckled  on  his  armor  when  he  was  called  to  lay 
it  aside.  He  died  in  Campinas,  of  yellow  fever,  in  1889, 
having  gone  thither  to  minister  to  the  sick  and  suffering. 
On  his  tombstone  in  the  cemetery  at  Campinas  is  the  in- 
scription, appropriate  to  Mr.  Thompson  and  other  of  our 
Brazil  missionaries  who  have  “fallen  asleep”  in  Brazil, 
“Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this  that  a man  lay  down 
his  life  for  his  friends.”  (John  15:  13.) 

At  a time  when  our  missionaries  were  actively  working 
in  the  interior  in  the  States  of  Minas  and  Goyaz  there  was 
a Mission  called  Interior  Brazil.  This  territory  was  finally 
merged  into  the  South  Brazil  Mission. 

In  the  further  organization  of  the  field,  following  the 
opening  of  the  work  in  Lavras,  the  South  Brazil  was 
divided  into  the  East  and  West  Brazil  Missions. 


PERNAMBUCO,  BRAZIL. 


30 


In  Brazil. 


North  Brazil  Mission. — At  the  inception  of  the  Brazil 
work  the  Executive  Committee  had,  with  some  hesita- 
tion, chosen  Campinas  rather  than  Pernambuco,  resolving 
at  the  same  time  to  occupy  the  latter  city  as  soon  as  op- 
portunity offered.  This  opportunity  came  at  the  close  of 
1872,  when  the  Rev.  J.  Rockwell  Smith  went  out,  followed 
the  next  spring  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boyle.  The  great  dis- 
tance, 1,500  miles,  between  Campinas  and  Pernambuco 
made  necessary  the  orgainzation  of  the  North  Brazil 
Mission,  which  included  all  the  country  from  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  State  of  Pernambuco  to  the  Amazon 
River  in  the  north,  a territory  almost  as  large  as  the  United 
States  east  of  the  Mississippi  River. 

Beginning  at  Pernambuco  stations  were  opened  along 
the  Atlantic  Coast  to  the  northwest  as  far  as  Para,  and  up 
the  Amazon  to  Manaos,  a city  next  in  size  and  importance 
to  Para.  From  Pernambuco  (also  called  Recife — reef) 
the  work  was  developed  along  the  narrow  guage  railway 
for  200  miles  southwest  to  Garanhuns  and  Canhotinho. 
The  missionaries  evangelized  over  a large  territory,  trav- 
eling on  horseback  and  living,  much  of  the  time,  among 
the  poor  in  villages  and  rural  districts.  They  met  with 
violent  opposition  and  suffered  frequent  persecution. 
The  priests  burned  the  Bibles,  incited  mobs  to  stone,  and 
sometimes  destroy,  places  of  worship.  The  number  of 
missionaries  has  always  been  limited.  The  mission  has 
been  forced  to  train  native  ministers  under  great  disad- 
vantage, but  have  given,  not  only  to  the  North  Brazil 
Mission,  but  to  other  Presbyterian  Churches  and  mission 
fields  in  Brazil,  a number  of  able  Brazilian  ministers. 
In  the  Northern  Brazil  field  Ceara,  Maranhoa,  Natal,  Para- 
hyba,  Para,  and  Caxias  in  the  interior,  were  successively 
occupied. 


In  Brazil. 


31 


Among  the  missionaries  who  have  been  longest  at  work 
in  this  field  are  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Geo.  W.  Butler,  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  Geo.  E.  Henderlite,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  W.  M.  Thompson, 
Rev.  and  Mrs.  W.  C.  Porter  and  Miss  Eliza  M.  Reed. 

The  Presbytery  of  Pernambuco  was  formed  in  1887  by 
uniting  the  missionaries  and  natives  and  was  one  of  the 
four  that  in  1888  constituted  the  Presbyterian  Synod  of 
Brazil. 


(1)  VIEW  OF  LAVRAS  FROM  COLLEGE  BUILDING. 
(2)  PERNAMBUCO  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 


32 


In  Brazil. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

OUR  PRESENT  WORK. 

As  stated  in  previous  paragraphs  the  territory  in  Brazil 
which  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  has  voluntarily 
assumed  to  evangelize  is  included  in  three  missions,  North 
Brazil  Mission,  East  Brazil  Mission  and  West  Brazil 
Mission. 

North  Brazil  Mission. 

The  cities  and  towns  where  missionaries  reside  and  are 
regular  stations  at  the  present  time  (1917)  are  Pernam- 
buco or  Recife,  Canhotinho  and  Garanhuns. 

Pernambuco. — Pernambuco,  the  capital  of  the  State 
of  the  same  name,  with  225,000  population,  is  situated 
on  the  Atlantic  coast  a little  over  eight  degrees  south 
of  the  equator.  The  building  of  an  extensive  breakwater 
within  the  last  few  years  gives  this  port  a good  harbor. 
Extensive  docks  and  warehouses  have  been  constructed. 
A large  number  of  old  buildings  along  the  shore  have  been 
demolished  and  fine  up-to-date  banking  houses,  business 
establishments  and  government  buildings  have  been 
erected.  It  is  in  many  ways  a modern  city  with  excellent 
street  railways  and  electric  light  systems,  waterworks  and 
other  modern  improvements.  Pernambuco  is  the  rail- 
way terminus  of  a system  of  narrow  guage  railroads  ex- 
tending northwest  some  distance  from  the  sea  with  lines 
to  Parahyba  and  Natal  on  the  sea  coast.  There  is  also  a 
narrow  guage  line  extending  southwest  a distance  of  200 
miles  to  Garanhuns.  The  chief  exports  are  cotton,  sugar 
and  dyewood.  In  ordinary  times  the  city  has  consid- 
erable trade  with  the  United  States  and  Europe. 


In  Brazil. 


33 


Our  missionary  work  in  Recife  was  opened  in  1873. 
The  missionaries  at  this  station  are  (1917)  Miss  Margaret 
M.  Douglas,  Miss  Edmonia  R.  Martin,  Rev.  and  Mrs. 
W.  C.  Porter,  Miss  Leona  James  and  Miss  R.  Caroline 
Kilgore.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porter  are  engaged  in  evangelistic 
work.  The  other  missionaries  are  connected  with  the 
Pernambuco  Girls’  School. 

We  have  a strong,  well-organized  church  and  four  other 
places  of  worship  with  256  communicants  and  a Chris- 
tian constituency  of  416.  There  are  two  Sabbath  schools 
with  a Sunday  school  membership  of  125.  The  church  is 
self-supporting,  with  a Brazilian  pastor  of  marked  ability. 
The  annual  contribution,  according  to  the  last  available 
report  (1915),  was  $2,410.00. 

The  Pernambuco  Girls’  School  was  opened  in  1892  by 
Miss  Eliza  M.  Reed.  On  account  of  lack  of  help  and  suffi- 
cient support  the  school  was  discontinued.  It  was  opened 
again  in  1904  under  the  direction  of  Miss  Reed  and  has 
been  in  successful  operation  since  that  time.  This  school 
is  the  most  important  center  of  Christian  education  for 
girls  in  North  Brazil.  During  1916  eighty  pupils  were 
enrolled.  Many  of  the  pupils  are  from  the  best  Catholic 
families  of  the  city,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the 
Bible  is  one  of  the  regular  text-books,  and  that  under  no 
circumstances  is  any  pupil  permitted  to  enter  the  school 
who  will  not  take  the  Bible  course.  Miss  Margaret  M. 
Douglas  as  principal,  Miss  Martin  as  an  associate  in  the 
management  of  the  school,  and  Miss  James  are  the  mis- 
sionary teachers.  A competent  corps  of  Brazilian  teach- 
ers assists  in  the  work.  These  teachers  are  very  largely 
former  students  of  the  school.  The  long  standing  need  of 
the  school  has  been  a building.  The  rented  quarters  are 
inadequate  and  inconvenient  and  unsanitary. 


.PERNAMBUCO  GIRLS’  SCHOOL. 

(1)  Graduates.  (2)  Brazilian  teachers.  (3)  A primary  class. 


(34) 


In  Brazil. 


35 


Garanhuns. — Garanhuns  is  about  200  miles  southwest 
of  Pernambuco.  The  station  was  opened  by  Dr.  Geo.  W. 
Butler  in  1901.  The  missionaries  at  the  station  are  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  Geo.  E.  Henderlite,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  W.  M. 
Thompson  and  Miss  Eliza  M.  Reed.  The  population  of 
Garanhuns  is  about  5,000.  It  is  a business  center  of  very 
considerable  importance.  It  is  a healthy  location  with 
an  altitude  of  nearly  3,000  feet.  When  work  was  begun 
at  this  station  the  missionaries  encountered  the  most  vio- 
lent opposition  and  no  little  persecution.  These  days  of 
trial  and  danger  to  life  and  property  are  past.  We  have 
now  a self-supporting  church  with  a well  organized  Sab- 
bath school  and  other  church  societies. 

The  educational  work  at  Garanhuns  consists  of  a suc- 
cessful day  school,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Thompson, 
in  which  Miss  Reed  is  also  a teacher.  The  most  impor- 
tant educational  work  is  the  training  of  a native  ministry 
under  the  general  direction  of  Dr.  Henderlite,  who  is  as- 
sisted by  Mr.  Thompson  and  Miss  Reed.  The  work  of 
training  these  native  ministers  has  laid  a great  burden  on 
the  workers,  but  the  results  have  justified  every  expendi- 
ture of  money  and  effort.  * Nearly  all  the  Brazilian  Pres- 
byterian pastors  in  North  Brazil,  and  a number  in  other 
parts  of  the  country,  received  their  training  in  the  Theo- 
logical School  at  Garanhuns.  The  foreign  missionary  of 
the  Brazilian  Presbyterian  Church  sent  to  Portugal  was 
a former  theological  student  under  Dr.  Henderlite  and  his 
associates.  Garanhuns  is  also  a center  for  publication  of 
Christian  literature  edited  by  Mr.  Thompson. 

There  are  several  prosperous  country  congregations  in 
the  out-station  fields.  The  territory  to  the  west  and 
northwest  of  Garanhuns  that  could  be  worked,  were  there 
a sufficient  missionary  force,  is  almost  unlimited. 


See  illustration,  p.  39. 


36 


In  Brazil. 


Canhotinho. — Canhotinho  is  a small  town  twenty 
miles  from  Garanhuns  on  the  railroad  toward  Pernambuco. 
The  station  was  opened  in  1895.  Rev.  G.  W.  Butler, 
M.  D.,  and  Mrs.  G.  W.  Butler  are  the  missionaries  at  this 
station.  The  story  of  the  opposition  to  the  gospel  when 
first  introduced  in  Canhotinho  is  well  known.  There  is 
now  an  organized  congregation  with  two  out-station  places 
of  worship  and  290  communicants.  There  is  a good  Sab- 
bath school  with  a membership  of  over  100.  The  excel- 
lent day  school  is  taught  by  a young  Christian  Brazilian 
woman  and  is  a strong  force  in  the  community. 

Dr.  Butler’s  work  as  a medical  missionary  is  one  of  the 
great  triumphs  of  the  Gospel  in  North  Brazil.  The 
patients  come  to  the  clinic  and  hospital  in  large  numbers 
and  from  long  distances.  The  number  of  treatments  dur- 
ing the  year  covered  by  the  last  report  was  8,500.  Dr. 
Butler  has  always  done  an  immense  amount  of  charity 
practice,  but  he  has  received  from  his  paid  practice  suffi- 
cient amount  to  erect  a church  and  a school  building. 
Through  the  generosity  of  a Methodist  friend  in  Missis- 
sippi a good  hospital,  costing  $5,000,  has  been  recently 
erected.  It  bears  the  name  of  its  generous  donor,  “Enoch’s 
Hospital.” 

The  cities  and  towns  that  were  formerly  occupied  by 
missionaries  and  where  churches  have  been  organized  or 
there  are  congregations  of  believers,  are  as  follows : 

Para  (or  Belem),  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Para  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Amazon,  is  a city  of  great  importance. 
Rev.  W.  M.  Thompson  was  located  in  Para  for  a short 
period.  A group  of  believers  was  formed  which  is  now  in 
charge  of  a Brazilian  pastor.  Manaos,  about  900  miles 
up  the  Amazon  from  Para,  is  another  important  city  where 
Mr.  Thompson  gathered  a group  of  believers  which  con- 
tinues its  organization  and  worship. 


In  Brazil. 


37 


Proceeding  along  the  Atlantic  Coast  to  the  southwest 
from  Para,  we  arrive  at  the  city  of  Maranhao,  an  impor- 
tant city,  the  capital  of  the  State  of  the  same  name.  Dr. 


CANHOTINHO. 

(1)  Enoch’s  Hospital.  (2)  Sr.  Caetano  Vidal  dos  Santos,  and 
Rev.  Geo.  W.  Butler,  M.D. 

Then:  “Well,  let  me  run  and  throw  my  stone,  too,”  was  what  Sr. 
Caetano  said  when  told  that  the  mob  was  stoning  a Brazilian  evan- 
gelist who  had  been  sent  by  Dr.  Butler  to  preach  the  gospel  in  hostile 
Canhotinho.  But  his  heart  was  moved  with  pity  when  he  saw  the 
evangelist  at  the  railroad  station  sitting  with  his  open  Bible,  patiently 
waiting  for  whatever  might  happen.  The  would-be  persecutor  became, 
at  once,  the  protector  and  savior  of  the  elderly  preacher. 

Now:  For  twenty-one  years  Sr.  Caetano  has  been  a believer,  a 
church  member,  a staunch  defender  of  the  gospel,  and  a loyal  friend 
and  heroic  defender  of  the  missionary. 


38 


In  Brazil. 


Butler  opened  the  work  at  this  station  many  years  ago. 
There  is  now  a well  organized  Presbyterian  Church  in 
charge  of  a native  pastor. 

The  town  of  Caxias,  situated  on  the  Itapicura  River, 
about  200  miles  from  its  mouth,  was  occupied  as  a station 
in  1896.  The  church  at  this  place  maintains  its  organiza- 
tion under  a native  pastor.  Fortaleza  (or  Ceara),  the 
capital  of  the  State  of  Ceara,  is  an  important  city  of  50,000 
inhabitants.  It  is  the  main  shipping  port  of  the  state 
which  produces  cattle,  hides,  cotton,  rubber  and  coffee. 
The  church,  organized  by  our  missionaries  at  the  time 
Fortaleza,  was  a regular  station,  supports  a native  pastor. 

The  next  city  of  importance  is  Natal,  the  capital  of  the 
State  of  Rio  Grande  del  Norte.  It  is  a city  of  some  40,000 
population.  The  church  was  organized  during  the  work 
of  Rev.  W.  C.  Porter.  It  is  now  the  strongest  Presby- 
terian Church  in  North  Brazil.  Its  able  pastor  is  known 
far  and  wide  as  a preacher  of  extraordinary  power.  The 
church  has  about  300  members,  with  a thorough  organiza- 
tion, including  Sunday  schools,  a Christian  Endeavor  So- 
ciety, Women’s  Missionary  Society,  etc. 

Parahyba  is  a city  of  considerable  importance.  It  is 
the  capital  of  the  State  of  the  same  name.  It  is  on  the 
sea  coast  about  twelve  hours  sail  from  Pernambuco.  It 
also  has  railroad  connection  to  the  south. 

In  the  North  Brazil  Mission  there  are  at  points  not 
occupied  by  resident  missionaries  twelve  organized  con- 
gregations, thirty-two  other  places  of  worship  and  1,516 
communicants.  There  are  thirteen  Sabbath  schools,  with 
a membership  of  870.  The  income  from  native  sources 
during  the  year  covered  by  the  last  report  received  was 
$10,292.00.  Ten  Brazilian  pastors  and  evangelists  are 
regularly  employed  in  this  field,  supported  by  the  churches 
and  Home  Mission  funds  of  the  Presbyteries. 


In  Brazil. 


39 


East  Brazil  Mission. 

It  is  not  possible  to  accurately  define  the  territory  of 
the  East  Brazil  Mission.  Lavras  is  the  central  station 
and  from  this  point  the  field  extends  toward  the  West 
Brazil  Mission  and  in  other  directions  to  an  indefinite 
distance. 

The  stations  are  Lavras,  Bom  Successo  and  Piumhy. 

Lavras. — The  visitor  to  Lavras  would  go  by  rail  from 
Rio  Janeiro  about  200  miles  slightly  toward  the  north- 
west. The  town  is  picturesquely  situated  in  the  moun- 
tainous part  of  the  State  of  Minas,  the  great  mining  state 


FACULTY  AND  STUDENTS,  LAVRAS  COLLEGE. 


40 


In  Brazil. 


of  Brazil.  The  population  of  the  town  is  between  four  and 
five  thousand.  The  railroad  on  which  it  is  located,  with 
another  line  to  be  completed,  makes  Lavras  an  important 
point  locally  and  in  its  relation  to  a large  section  of  coun- 
try that  will  be  rapidly  developed. 

The  missionaries  at  this  station  are:  Rev.  and  Mrs. 
S.  R.  Gammon,  Miss  Charlotte  Kemper,  Rev.  H.  S.  Allyn, 
M.  D.,  and  Mrs.  Allyn,  now  on  furlough.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
C.  C.  Knight,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  H.  Hunnicutt  and  Miss 
Alice  G.  Marchant. 

The  station  was  opened  in  1892.  The  statistics  fur- 
nished for  the  annual  report  of  1916  report  7 out-stations, 
2 Brazilian  pastors,  3 organized  congregations  and  2 
schools  with  a total  of  226  students.  The  total  income 
from  native  sources,  including  the  tuition  to  the  schools, 
is  $20,000.00.  The  church  at  Lavras  is  well  organized, 
with  a Brazilian  pastor  and  is  self-supporting. 

The  two  schools  in  Lavras  are  the  Gymnasio  de  Lavras 
(the  college  for  men)  and  the  Charlotte  Kemper  School  for 
girls.  Lavras  is  in  every  way  an  admirable  location  for 
the  schools.  Twelve  years  after  Lavras  was  opened  as  a 
station  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  open  a school  for  boys. 
The  school  has  steadily  grown  in  numbers.  It  is  now 
impossible  to  receive  all  the  boys  and  young  men  that 
make  earnest  application  for  admission  to  the  college.  In 
an  annual  report  of  the  work  of  the  Gymnasio  de  Lavras 
it  is  said : “We  have  found  it  necessary  to  limit  the  number 
of  boarders.  More  than  before  we  have  found  men  of 
prominence  in  the  state  sending  their  sons  to  us,  even  in 
spite  of  our  being  the  heretic  Protestants.  It  has  been 
with  some  pride  that  we  have  heard  the  Gymnasio  de  Lav- 
ras spoken  of  as  the  first  institution  of  its  class  in  the  state. 
Requests  for  catalogues  have  come  from  the  extreme 
north  of  Brazil  to  the  last  state  in  the  south.”  The  Agri- 


In  Brazil. 


41 


cultural  School  is  a distinctive  and  eminently  successful 
department  of  Lavras  College.  The  religious  training 
and  spiritual  life  of  the  students  are  evident  in  the  fact 
that  out  of  115  boarding  students  in  the  school,  when  the 
writer  recently  visited  Lavras,  there  were  seventeen  candi- 
dates for  the  ministry. 

What  has  been  done  for  the  boys  and  young  men  in  the 
Gymnasio  is  being  done  for  girls  in  the  Charlotte  Kemper 
School.  This  school  has  a reasonably  good  equipment, 


IN  THE  COFFEE  ORCHARD,  LAVRAS  COLLEGE. 


including  several  buildings  and  a campus.  Evidently  our 
East  Brazil  Mission  and  a large  territory  outside  the  mis- 
sion is  well  provided  with  facilities  for  Christian  educa- 
tion in  our  two  splendid  schools  at  Lavras. 

Bom  Successo.— Bom  Successo  is  a town  of  some  2,000 
population,  about  twenty-five  miles  from  Lavras.  For  a 
number  of  years  it  has  been  one  of  the  out-station  preach- 
ing points.  The  missionaries  at  the  station  are  Miss  Ruth 
See  and  Mrs.  D.  G.  Armstrong.  It  was  opened  as  a sta- 
tion in  1913.  There  are  two  out-stations,  two  organized 


42 


In  Brazil. 


congregations  and  three  other  places  of  worship.  Miss 
See  and  Mrs.  Armstrong  moved  from  Lavras  to  Bom 
Successo  in  1913  to  open  a day  school  in  response  to  the 
request  of  the  City  Council  and  Mayor,  the  city  paying 
the  rent  of  a house  for  one  year  and  furnishing  it  free. 
The  following  year  a boarding  department  was  opened. 
The  school  has  been  a success  from  its  beginning.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  an  attempt  was  made  to  blow  up  the 
building  in  which  the  school  was  conducted.  The  man  who 
placed  the  dynamite  at  the  instigation  of  the  local  priest, 
has  recently  completed  his  prison  sentence. 

Piumhy. — Piumhy  is  an  interior  town  about  100  miles 
northwest  of  Lavras.  The  journey  to  this  place  requires 
nearly  two  days  horseback  travel  over  mountain  roads  or 
paths.  It  was  opened  as  a station  in  1894.  The  mission- 
ary at  this  station  is  Mrs.  Kate  B.  Cowan,  who,  with  great 
devotion  to  the  people  of  the  town  and  surrounding  coun- 
try, is  diligent  in  the  work  of  house-to-house  visitation, 
organizing  Sunday  schools  and  distributing  Christian  lit- 
erature. 

West  Brazil  Mission. 

The  field  of  the  West  Brazil  Mission  can  be  reached  by 
travel  from  the  United  States  by  a sea  voyage  to  Rio 
Janeiro  and  a railroad  journey  of  300  miles  from  Sao 
Paulo.  The  sea  voyage  can  be  continued  to  the  city  of 
Santos,  the  sea  port  of  Sao  Paulo,  and  thence  by  rail  to 
Campinas.  The  stations  of  the  West  Brazil  Mission  are 
Campinas,  Descalvado,  Ytu,  Braganca  and  Itapetininga. 

Campinas. — Campinas  is  a thriving  city  of  about  40,000 
population.  It  is  120  miles  from  Santos  and  60  miles  from 
Sao  Paulo,  the  capital  city  of  the  State  of  the  same  name. 
It  has  an  elevation  of  about  2,300  feet  above  sea  level  and 
the  climate  is  semi-tropical.  In  a previous  chapter  refer- 


In  Brazil. 


43 


ence  has  been  made  to  the  early  work  at  Campinas. 
Our  missionaries  at  this  station  are  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J. 
Rockwell  Smith.  Dr.  Smith  is  the  President  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Theological  Seminary. 

Descalvado. — Descalvado  is  120  miles  from  Sao  Paulo. 
The  population  is  about  5,000.  It  is  situated  in  the  heart 
of  what  is  perhaps  the  greatest  coffee-growing  region  in 
the  world.  The  station  was  opened  in  1908  by  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  Alva  Hardie,  who  are  the  missionaries  at  this  point. 
There  is  an  organized  church,  a good  church  building 
erected  at  a cost  of  $5,000.00.  There  is  also  a missionary 
residence  well  located  in  the  town.  The  Descalvado  field 
includes  five  out-stations.  There  are  regular  services 
maintained  at  four  important  towns  along  the  line  of  the 
railroad. 

Ytu. — Ytu  is  one  of  the  very  old  cities  of  this  section  of 
Brazil.  It  for  many  years  has  been  the  headquarters  of 


THEOLOGICAL  STUDENTS,  GARANHUNS. 
Rev.  W.  M.  Thompson,  Rev.  Geo.  E.  Henderlite. 


44 


In  Brazil. 


the  Jesuits.  The  Jesuit  College  at  one  time  had  an  at- 
tendance of  600  students.  This  number  has  been  greatly 
decreased  of  late  years  as  the  result  of  the  organization  of 
a public  school  system.  The  population  is  about  6,000. 
Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  P.  Smith  are  the  missionaries  at  this 
station,  which  was  opened  in  1909.  There  is  a comfort- 
able missionary  home  with  a mission  hall,  etc.  In  the 
Ytu  field  there  are  four  out-stations,  five  organized  con- 
gregations and  twelve  other  places  of  worship. 

Braganca. — Braganca  was  opened  as  a mission  station 
in  1909.  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Gaston  Boyle  are  our  missiona- 
ries at  this  point.  In  connection  with  his  work  at  Bra- 
ganca, Mr.  Boyle  has  out-station  work  at  three  important 
towns  and  surrounding  districts.  In  the  Braganca  field 
there  are  three  organized  congregations  with  143  com- 
municants. 

Itapetininga. — The  West  Brazil  Mission  in  extending 
its  work  opened  up  a field  on  the  line  of  railway  running 
from  Rio  Janeiro  southwest  through  the  State  of  Sao 
Paulo  and  on  to  Buenos  Aires  in  Argentine.  The  central 
station,  Itapetininga,  is  some  200  miles  south  of  the  city 
of  Sao  Paulo.  This  very  important  field  was  opened  in 


In  Brazil. 


45 


1912  by  Rev.  and  Mrs.  R.  D.  Daffin.  With  a population 
of  over  5,000,  this  city  is  an  important  commercial  center 
for  both  local  and  interior  trade.  The  State  Normal 
School  is  located  here,  and  there  are  a number  of  prosper- 
ous manufacturies.  There  is  a good  church  organization. 
A new  building  has  been  recently  completed  and  dedi- 
cated. The  Mission  owns  the  missionary  home. 

Faxina. — Continuing  the  journey  about  eighty-five 
miles  toward  the  boundary  of  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo  at 
the  south,  we  arrive  at  Faxina,  a city  of  some  6,000  in- 
habitants. While  this  is  not  a regular  station  of  the  West 
Brazil  Mission,  it  is  a very  important  point  in  Mr.  Daffin’s 
field.  The  church  is  well  orgainized  and  worships  in  a 
recently  completed  building,  wholly  paid  for  by  the  Bra- 
zilian congregation.  There  are  several  strong  country 
churches  in  Mr.  Daffin’s  field. 


GROUP  CHARLOTTE  KEMPER  SCHOOL  GIRLS. 


A SUMMARY. 


Population  of  the  field  in  the  three  Missions,  4,030,000. 

Missionary  force,  34;  Native  workers,  26. 

Churches  and  congregations,  39,  with  3,458  members. 

The  42  Sabbath  Schools  have  1,800  scholars. 

The  14  schools  enrolled  last  year  488  students. 

In  two  Theological  schools  there  are  12  students  for  the  ministry. 
There  are  17  candidates  for  the  ministry  in  the  college  courses. 

For  full  statistics  see  last  Annual  Report  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  Foreign  Missions. 

CONDITIONS  AND  NEEDS. 

The  writer  has  recently  returned  from  a missionary  tour  in  Brazil, 
a journey  of  nearly  17,000  miles  by  steamship,  railroad  and  on  horse- 
back. Nearly  all  our  stations  and  a number  of  the  out-stations 
were  visited.  There  was  every  opportunity  for  a thorough  study 
of  our  fields  and  work.  Many  new,  or  deepened  impressions  were 
received,  The  following  are  mentioned: 

Brazil  is  great  in  extent  and  resources.  It  is  a country  of  large 
possibilities. 

The  people  are  genial  in  disposition  and  are  friendly  to  the  United 
States. 

While  there  is  a prosperous  and  cultivated  class,  ignorance  and 
superstition  prevail  in  the  large  mass  of  the  population. 

The  poverty,  ignorance,  superstition  and  idolatry  of  the  masses, 
the  unbelief  of  the  upper  classes  and  corruption  of  the  dominating 
church  make  Brazil  a missionary  field  as  needy  and  important  as 
any  country  where  we  have  missionaries. 

Our  missionaries  in  Brazil  are  a band  of  as  faithful,  able,  conse- 
crated, self-sacrificing  men  and  women  as  will  be  found  in  any  for- 
eign field. 

Under  difficulties  not  exceeded  in  any  field  our  missionaries  are 
preaching,  teaching  and  healing  with  fidelity  to  the  supreme  object 
of  soul-saving. 

The  Brazilian  Presbyterian  Church  is  well  organized  with  its 
presbyteries,  synods  and  General  Assembly.  In  the  local  churches 
Sunday  schools,  women’s  societies,  Christian  Endeavor  societies, 
etc.,  are  increasing  in  number  and  efficiency. 


(46) 


The  missionaries  are  overworked.  Reinforcements  are  not  only 
needed,  but  are  absolutely  essential  to  holding  the  work  already 
established. 

Our  schools  of  all  kinds  are  doing  an  exceptionally  good  work. 
The  students  are  given  Christian  education,  with  a strong  emphasis 
on  Christian  training.  There  is  urgent  need  for  improved  equip- 
ment. 

Brazil  is  an  open  door  to  the  Gospel.  In  vast  stretches  of  terri- 
tory and  among  multitudes  of  people  the  message  of  salvation  has 
never  been  proclaimed. 

The  Brazilian  Christians,  pastors  and  people,  express  deepest 
gratitude  for  all  that  the  Christians  of  the  great  Republic  of  North 
America  have  done  for  the  great  Republic  of  South  America. 

The  missionaries  and  Brazilian  Christians  everywhere  request  of 
the  “mother  church”  in  the  United  States  prayer  in  their  behalf, 
and  send  an  earnest  appeal  for  additional  missionaries  to  aid  in 
winning  Brazil  for  Christ. 


MISSION  STUDY  QUESTIONS. 


Chapter  I.  South  America. 


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

8. 

!). 


What  island  first  discovered?  By  whom?  Date. 

Give  date  of  discovery  of  the  continent.  What  name  given  to  part  discovered. 
Now  what  Republic? 

Size  of  South  America— length,  breadth,  area  compared  to  Europe. 

What  is  approximate  total  population  and  nationalities? 

How  was  South  America  divided  in  1493--4? 

When  did  the  Spanish  colonies  revolt  and  final  result? 

What  great  country  last  to  be  a colony?  When?  When  a republic? 

How  did  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  become  the  dominating  religion? 

What  recent  conference  was  of  supreme  interest  in  the  religious  relation  of  two  conti- 
nents? 


Chapter  II.  Brazil. 

1.  State  facts  of  discovery.  Names  given. 

2.  Describe  shape  of  Brazil.  Geographical  extent  and  comparative  size. 

3.  How  many  and  what  are  the  distinct  regions  of  Brazil? 

4.  What  are  the  products,  foods,  fruits,  minerals,  etc.? 

5.  Name  of  three  outstanding  facts  of  history  of  Brazil. 

6.  Who  was  Brazil’s  greatest  Emperor? 


(47) 


Chapter  III.  People  of  Brazil. 

1.  What  is  the  estimated  population  of  Brazil?  What  nationalities? 

2.  What  are  some  of  the  noble  qualities  of  the  people?  What  the  greatest  need? 

3.  What  per  cent  of  people  illiterate?  What  per  cent  wealthy  and  ruling  class? 

4.  What  is  the  prevailing  condition  of  the  rural  population? 

5.  What  facts  should  a critic  of  Brazil  remember? 

Chapter  IV.  Moral,  Religious  and  Educational  Conditions. 

1.  What  are  some  of  the  reasons  for  immoral  conditions? 

2.  What  form  of  idolatry  is  practiced  in  Brazil? 

3.  What  is  the  prevailing  attitude  of  educated  men  toward  religion? 

4.  How  many  students  in  universities?  Our  duty  to  them? 

5.  What  religious  liberty  was  granted  in  the  Constitution  of  the  Empire?  What  in  the 

Constitution  of  the  Republic? 

Chapter  V.  Early  Missions. 

1.  When  did  the  first  Catholic  missionaries  arrive  in  Brazil? 

2.  First  Protestant  missionaries?  Year?  Where  locate? 

3.  Name  four  “first”  Protestant  things  or  facts  in  the  New  World. 

4.  Study  the  illustration,  “Miracle  Cross,”  page  22. 

5.  What  denominations  sent  missionaries  in  earlier  years? 

6.  What  are  the  periods  of  Presbyterian  missions  in  Brazil? 

7.  Who  was  the  first  Presbyterian  missionary?  When?  Where? 

Chapter  VI.  Our  Early  Missions. 

1.  Name  our  first  missionaries  to  Brazil.  When  sent  out  and  wh  ere  did  they  locate? 

(Refer  to  map.) 

2.  To  what  place  was  seat  of  missions  transferred?  Why?  Date? 

3.  What  was  the  motto  of  our  early  missionaries? 

4.  Give  some  account  of  at  least  three  of  the  early  missionaries. 

5.  When,  where,  by  whom  was  North  Brazil  work  opened? 

6.  Give  general  location  of  the  South  Brazil  and  North  Brazil  missions. 

7.  What  two  stations  opened  200  miles  interior  from  Pernambuco? 

S.  Trace  opening  of  cities  and  towns  along  Atlantic  to  the  Amazon  River. 

9.  Into  what  two  missions  was  the  South  Brazil  Mission  divided? 

Chapter  VII.  Our  Present  Work. 

1.  Name  our  three  Brazil  Missions.  Locate  in  a general  way  the  fields. 

2.  What  is  a “Mission”?  What  is  a “Station”? 

Questions  are  not  necessary  to  guide  the  leader  or  members  of  the  class  in  the  study 
of  each  station.  The  name  of  the  town,  or  city,  location  (refer  to  the  map',  population, 
industries  and  general  items  should  be  brought  out.  Next  should  come  a study  of  the 
work  (church,  schools,  etc.)  and  the  names  and  special  work  of  the  missionaries. 

For  statistics  get  a copy  of  the  last  Annual  Report  cf  the  Executive  Committee  of  For- 
eign Missions,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Write  for  any  desired  information  that  will  be  of  practical  interest  to  Mission  Study 
class. 


(48) 


“IN  FOUR  CONTINENTS” 

Third  Edition,  Revised. 

By  REV.  H.  F.  WILLIAMS. 

A beautifully  printed  illustrated  book  of  230  pages,  giving  a concise  and  inspiring  his- 
torical sketch  of  the  origin  and  development  of  the  missionary  activities  of  the  Southern 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  four  continents  in  which  our  seven  Missions  are  located,  by  j 
Rev.  Henry  F.  Williams,  Field  Secretary,  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  | 
- U.  S.  f 

The  first  chapter  recounts  the  initial  step  of  the  young  and  struggling  Church  in  the  | 
establishment  of  mission  stations.  The  remaining  chapters  give  graphic  sketches  of  = 
the  planting  of  stations  in  seven  countries  where  we  now  sustain  missions.  i 

I The  book  is  attractively  printed  and  illustrated.  Many  of  the  pictures  are  from  pho-  | 
I tographs  taken  by  the  author  while  on  his  recent  world  missionary  tour.  Pastors  and  | 
= missionary  workers  will  find  in  this  book  the  information  that  has  been  so  long  needed  to  | 
| develop  an  intelligent  and  generous  interest  in  the  missionary  enterprises  of  our  Church.  | 
j Paper  Binding,  Postpaid,  35c.  Cloth  Binding,  Postpaid,  50c.  f 


1 Map  Studies  of  Mission  Lands 

| By  REV.  H.  F.  WILLIAMS. 

An  interesting  and  informing  series  of  Maps,  showing  very  clearly  the  location  of  all  | 
the  Mission  Stations  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church.  Brief  explanatory  notes  | 
make  the  studies  invaluable  to  all  who  would  be  fully  informed  about  the  foreign  activ-  = 
ities  of  our  Church.  j 

Price,  5 Cents,  Postpaid. 


Helps  for  Leaders 

By  REV.  H.  F.  WILLIAMS. 

Suggestions  for  the  Leaders  of  Classes  or  Individuals  engaged  in  the 
Study  of  “In  Four  Continents.’’ 

A helpful  pamphlet  prepared  by  Rev.  H.  F.  Williams,  giving  suggestions  about  organ- 
izing and  conducting  Mission  Study  Classes,  and  brief  directions  for  the  study  of  each 
chapter.  A list  of  the  best  books  on  missions  for  side  reading  is  appended,  and  a table 
gives  the  correct  pronunciations  of  the  foreign  names  in  the  book.  A set  of  review  ques- 
tions provides  for  a complete  resume  of  each  chapter  as  studied. 

An  invaluable  aid  to  all  who  would  make  a thorough  study  of  “In  Four  Continents.” 

PRICE  10  CENTS,  POSTPAID. 

A free  copy  of  “Helps  for  Leaders”  will  be  sent  to  every  one  ordering  a supply  of  the 
book  “In  Four  Continents”  for  class  study. 


ADDRESS  ALL  ORDERS  TO 

Presbyterian  Committee  of  Publication 


j RICHMOND,  VIRGINIA  TEXARKANA,  ARK. -TEX. 


